Emulsion treating method and apparatus

Abstract

A treater for electrostatically and/or mechanically separating emulsified brine from oil during longitudinal flow through a horizontally elongate metal tank. Emulsion is directed through a louver stack made up of a large number of inclined parallel plates. The openings on the upstream end and on the downstream end of this louver stack are adjustable from outside of the metal tank, so as to allow the operator to adjust the flow rate through the treater as operating parameters change.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. An emulsion separating treater useful for separating water droplets from an oil/water emulsion, the treater comprising: 
       (a) a generally horizontal elongate enclosed tank having a longitudinal axis, a first end and an opposed second end;  
       (b) an emulsion inlet port;  
       (c) an oil outlet port and a brine outlet port;  
       (d) a louver stack located within the tank between the emulsion inlet port and the oil outlet port, the louver stack being disposed perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tank and comprising a plurality of at least four plates each having an upstream edge and a downstream edge, the upstream edge of each individual plate being disposed at a higher elevation than the downstream edge of that plate, the distance between the upstream edge and the downstream edge on each plate being between about 6 inches and about 36 inches, adjoining upstream edges defining a plurality of generally horizontal inlet louver openings and adjoining downstream edges defining a plurality of generally horizontal outlet louver openings, each inlet louver opening and each outlet louver opening having a louver opening width; and  
       (e) an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the outlet louver opening widths from outside of the tank.  
     
     
       2. The emulsion separating treater of claim  1  wherein the adjustment mechanism adjusts the louver opening widths of both the inlet louver openings and the outlet louver openings. 
     
     
       3. The emulsion separating treater of claim  1  further comprising an emulsion heating section disposed between the emulsion inlet port and the louver stack. 
     
     
       4. The emulsion separating treater of claim  1  wherein the outlet opening width of each outlet opening is adjustable by at least about 0.5 inches. 
     
     
       5. The emulsion separating treater of claim  1  wherein an electrostatic field inducer is disposed within the tank perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tank, the electrostatic field inducer being located immediately upstream of the louver stack. 
     
     
       6. The emulsion separating treater of claim  5  wherein the electrostatic field inducer comprises an electrofiable grid. 
     
     
       7. The emulsion separating treater of claim  1  wherein the louver stack comprises between about 70 plates and about 150 plates. 
     
     
       8. The emulsion separating treater of claim  1  wherein the plates are movable by pivoting about a pivot axis disposed substantially horizontally. 
     
     
       9. The emulsion separating treater of claim  8  wherein the pivot axis of each plate is located between that plate's upstream edge and that plate's downstream edge. 
     
     
       10. The emulsion separating treater of claim  1  wherein the adjustment mechanism comprises a push/pull rod. 
     
     
       11. The emulsion separating treater of claim  1  further comprising a plurality of louver stacks disposed between the emulsion inlet port and the oil outlet port. 
     
     
       12. An emulsion separating treater useful for separating water droplets from an oil/water emulsion, the treater comprising: 
       (a) a generally horizontal elongate enclosed tank having a longitudinal axis, a first end and an opposed second end;  
       (b) an emulsion inlet port;  
       (c) an oil outlet port and a brine outlet port;  
       (d) a heater section located within the tank between the emulsion inlet port and the oil outlet port;  
       (e) a plurality of spaced-apart louver stacks located downstream of the heater section, each louver stack being disposed perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tank and comprising a plurality of at least four parallel plates each having an upstream edge and a downstream edge, the upstream edge of each individual plate being disposed at a higher elevation than the downstream edge of that plate, the distance between the upstream edge and the downstream edge on each plate being between about 6 inches and about 36 inches, adjoining upstream edges defining a plurality of generally horizontal inlet louver openings and adjoining downstream edges defining a plurality of generally horizontal outlet louver openings, each inlet louver opening and each outlet louver opening having a louver opening width; and  
       (f) an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the outlet louver opening widths from outside of the tank.  
     
     
       13. The emulsion separating treater of claim  12  wherein the outlet opening width of each outlet opening is adjustable by at least about 0.5 inches. 
     
     
       14. The emulsion separating treater of claim  12  wherein an electrostatic field inducer is an electrofiable grid disposed within the tank perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tank, the electrostatic field inducer being located immediately upstream of the louver stack. 
     
     
       15. The emulsion separating treater of claim  12  wherein the louver stack comprises between about 70 plates and about 150 plates. 
     
     
       16. The emulsion separating treater of claim  12  wherein the plates are movable by pivoting about a pivot axis disposed substantially horizontally. 
     
     
       17. The emulsion separating treater of claim  16  wherein the pivot axis of each plate is located between that plate's upstream edge and that plate's downstream edge. 
     
     
       18. The emulsion separating treater of claim  12  wherein the adjustment mechanism comprises a push/pull rod. 
     
     
       19. An emulsion separating treater useful for separating water droplets from an oil/water emulsion, the treater comprising: 
       (a) a generally horizontal elongate enclosed tank having a longitudinal axis, a first end and an opposed second end;  
       (b) an emulsion inlet port;  
       (c) an oil outlet port and a brine outlet port;  
       (d) a heater section located within the tank between the emulsion inlet port and the oil outlet port;  
       (e) a plurality of spaced-apart electrofiable grids located downstream of the heater section;  
       (f) a louver stack located immediately downstream of each electrofiable grid, each louver stack being disposed perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tank and comprising a plurality of at least four parallel plates each having an upstream edge and a downstream edge, the upstream edge of each individual plate being disposed at a higher elevation than the downstream edge of that plate, the distance between the upstream edge and the downstream edge on each plate being between about 6 inches and about 36 inches, adjoining upstream edges defining a plurality of generally horizontal inlet louver openings and adjoining downstream edges defining a plurality of generally horizontal outlet louver openings, each inlet louver opening and each outlet louver opening having a louver opening width; and  
       (g) an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the outlet louver opening widths from outside of the tank.